American Gold Medalist ‘Almost Didn’t Race’ at Paris Olympics

Kristen Faulkner arrived at the Paris Olympics looking to prioritize track cycling over road cycling. While she accepted an open spot for the road event, she considered passing on Sunday’s race to rest up for her ambitions on the track.

“Because I had Team Pursuit in two days, I actually almost didn’t race the road race,” Faulkner said.

Luckily for Team USA, she agreed to remain in the competition after reaching the following conclusion.

“Ultimately, USA Cycling wants us to wear medals, and that’s why we’re here,” she said.

Faulkner rode that supreme confidence to Olympic cycling glory. She proudly wore a gold medal around her neck Sunday after achieving one of the more unexpected Olympic victories at the Paris Games.

In a field that included two of the sport’s all-time greats — the Netherlands’ Marianne Cos and Belgium’s Lotte Kopecky — Faulker broke away with three kilometers left and sprinted to the finish line to win the United States’ first Olympic gold in the women’s road race in 40 years.

Fittingly, her late attack caught the competition by surprise.

“I knew if I got a small gap they would have to race for second,” Faulkner said. “I just counted to 10 about 10 times until I hit the finish line.”

Don’t be surprised if Hollywood buys the rights to Faulkner’s Olympic success story. It’s definitely worthy of a movie.

The 31-year-old Alaska native attended Harvard, where she was a competitive rower, and she only got into cycling after taking a class in Central Park while working for a capital venture firm in New York City. Just four years ago, she had yet to fully commit to cycling.

And now, she’s an Olympic champion in road racing.

“This is a dream come true,” she said. “I’m still looking at that finish line sign wondering how my name got there.”